Omicron spike makes parents of children too young to be able to capture – The Morning Sun
Author by LINDSEY TANNERAP Medical Writer
Afternoons with the Grammys. Birthday party. Meet other toddlers at the park. Parents whose children are too young to be immunized are facing tough choices as the spike in omicron variation in COVID-19 cases makes every encounter seem risky .
For Maine business owner Erin Connolly, the hardest decision involved Madeleine, her 3-year-old daughter, and Connolly’s mother, who cared for her on a weekday when she wasn’t at preschool.
It’s precious time to make cookies, go to the library, or just hang out. But the little girl is mentally resilient against wearing masks, and with the highly contagious variant spreading at a furious rate, Connolly said she wonders how long that can go on “and when does it feel too unsafe.”
Connolly, of West Bath, said she is less worried about Madeleine and her six-year-old son being vaccinated against the virus than about the impact the illness and separation will have on his grandparents. But she’s also worried about her vaccinated parents getting breakouts.
While omicrons appear to cause less serious illness and lead to fewer hospital admissions, medical experts say, suggesting it is much more contagious than other variables. other body. Nearly 718,000 COVID cases were reported Tuesday, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Omicron is now the culprit in more than 90% of cases in the US, a dizzying increase from less than 10% two weeks ago.
Dr Anthony Fauci said Wednesday at a White House briefing: “The large number of infections because of its ability to spread far and wide will mean more children will be infected.
According to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, COVID-19 infections among children and adolescents in the United States nearly doubled in the last two weeks of December, totaling nearly 326,000 cases in the United States alone. in the last week.
The dramatic rise in omicrons has also resulted in record numbers of children being hospitalized: During the week of December 27, 2021 to January 2, 2022, an average of 672 children 17 and younger were hospitalized every day with the coronavirus. – more than double the amount from last week. Children are still
However, it represents a small percentage of those hospitalized.
Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease doctor, says surrounding children with vaccinated adults is one way to prevent them from catching the virus. Health officials also reiterated that masks prevent transmission, and that wearing them to children 2 years of age and older in public and group settings can help keep them safe.
Connolly, 39, and her mother had a difficult conversation Tuesday morning about the dilemma.
“Was Madeleine masked?” her mother asked. “I said, ‘We were trying, but I don’t know if she would,’ ‘Connolly recalls. “I said, ‘Does that mean the Grammy Thursdays are gone?’ She said, ‘I’m still not sure,” Connolly said, tears welling in her eyes.
Parents who had hoped the New Year could bring a COVID vaccine to young children failed when Pfizer announced last month that two doses did not provide as much protection as expected in 2- to 4-year-olds. .
Pfizer’s study has been updated to give everyone under the age of 5 a third dose, and data is expected around late March or early April, a company scientist told officials. US office on Wednesday.
Dr Yvonne Maldonado, who led studies on Stanford University’s Pfizer vaccine for children under 12, said the researchers were disappointed by the failure.
Maldonado said she understands the frustration of parents with young children, but she advises them to avoid unnecessary travel during this time of increase and to ensure that day care centers, preschools and their other care providers are asking to wear masks and take other recommended precautions.
Following the spread of omicrons, Honolulu resident Jacob Aki is contemplating throwing his 10-month-old son’s first birthday party. Celebrate a milestone in his native Hawaiian culture. The tradition dates back to a time before the measles vaccine, when it was a feat to reach one’s first birthday. The family also canceled plans to experience snow in Canada. Meanwhile, every cough and sniffle is anxiety-provoking.
“Infants often get sick at this age,” says Aki. “But with everything with COVID… the anxiety is high.”
Heather Cimellaro, a technology teacher from Auburn, Maine, says she’s more worried than ever about keeping her identical 3-year-old twin boys healthy. A person who has had medical problems related to their premature birth and their family regularly visits Boston to see a specialist.
“COVID can really help with those plans,” says Cimellaro.
Cimellaro, 33, said omicron has reconsidered running errands with the twins, visiting story hours at the library, even the preschool, which is housed in a medical center for the elderly. She worries the boys might catch COVID and spread it to their “best friends”.
“Just a lot of worry: “Am I doing it right? “, She speaks. “That’s the thing. I am not an epidemiologist. I don’t know how dangerous it is for them. So it was like arguing with myself. “
Erin Stanley of Berrien Springs, Michigan, says she and her husband have cut back on their social lives because of omicrons to help protect their 3-year-old son, Ralph. Both are vaccinated and healthy, but they worry about Ralph getting sick and infecting his dear cousin, preschool classmates, grandparents, and great-grandmother.
They didn’t see their great-grandmother over Christmas and also skipped the holiday to gather with other relatives.
“That’s sad,” Stanley said. “We all really want to. It just seems risky. “
Stanley, 35, a chef at a popular organic farm, once took Ralph grocery shopping, a trip he looks forward to and that represents one of his few social interactions inside. outside the kindergarten. But few shoppers wear masks, she said, and now that also seems too risky.
The shy boy has had three recent scares and three negative COVID tests.
“Taking the swab test was really a big pain for him,” says Stanley, adding that “virus” and “sweep” have now become part of his vocabulary.
“He kept saying, ‘I don’t want a swab!” she said. “If there’s a vaccine for him, we’ll definitely get it.”
https://www.themorningsun.com/2022/01/07/omicron-surge-vexes-parents-of-children-too-young-for-shots/ Omicron spike makes parents of children too young to be able to capture – The Morning Sun